Author: Mary Stoffel, MOT, OTR/L

What’s Your Parenting Patronus?

| Mary Stoffel, MOT, OTR/L

How parents raise their children has always been up for speculation and criticism since the post-WWII days of Dr. Spock. His book published in 1946, The Common Sense Book of Baby and Child Care, suggested that parents knew the best way to raise their kids. He even states in the introduction, “You know more than you think you do.” 

He advised that the more care, contact, and consideration a parent invested into their child, the better their child will turn out. How you did it, for the most part, was completely up to you.

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Sitcom Parenting 101

| Mary Stoffel, MOT, OTR/L

Millennials know that the blueprint for parenting has changed a lot from generation to generation. In the 80’s and 90’s, the parental focus was on behavior and obtaining desired outcomes (like good grades), regardless of how they achieved them. This is a stark difference to the neuroscience and development-based styles that are encouraged today. To be fair, the internet was a novelty and the latest information on raising kids were in books or on talk shows.

I believe our parents tried the best they could all things considered, but growing up with family shows like Full House and Boy Meets World made me wish I had parents that were just a little more caring and supportive. As a parent now, does that sitcom-style parenting that I looked up to still resonate?

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Have you watched Bluey?

| Mary Stoffel, MOT, OTR/L

I first heard about this show last year. A friend had asked if we had seen it and suggested that we (and our son) would enjoy it. I was 5 months pregnant at the time and our son was becoming bored with the usual suspects: Team Umizoomi, Paw Patrol, Blues Clues, Blaze, and Bubble Guppies. So why not give it a try?

The world of kid’s TV is crammed with numbers, letters, and constant drilling of basic academics. Bluey brings none of that to the table. I was impressed to see that each 7-minute episode is jammed packed with humor, imagination, and lessons in parenting. Yes, parenting.

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Course Notes: The Whole-Brain Child Approach, Pt. 5

| Mary Stoffel, MOT, OTR/L

Last week, we covered the following:

  • As our kids begin to acknowledge and address their emotions, they start realizing that situations can be complicated
  • How we, as parents, effect our kids as they make sense of their circumstances
  • Strategies on how to help our children integrate the many pieces of themselves

Home stretch! On to the last 2 strategies.

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Course Notes: The Whole-Brain Child Approach, Pt. 4

| Mary Stoffel, MOT, OTR/L

In Monday’s post, we discussed:

  • How our two types of memory (implicit and explicit) work together to recall an experience
  • What to do if an implicit memory (feelings, behavior, bodily sensations) is disconnected from its explicit memory (recall of an experience), resulting in an emotional flood 
  • Strengthening and integrating these memory pieces through daily practice 

Now that we’re caught up, let’s move to the next three strategies.

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